Through Broken Lenses
by Itachi's Husband
Summary: [AU] Itachi never considered having any children of his own until Sakura and Sasuke's untimely deaths grant him legal guardianship of a niece he hasn't seen since she was young. Now he must find a way to juggle a massive project at work, Mebuki's attempts to gain guardianship of Sarada, Fugaku's disapproval, and "Uncle Kisame's" various antics, all while raising Sarada by himself.
1. The Irony

**Okay~~~so I've been exercising this idea for several weeks now...I started it a couple of weeks ago, and long story short, it didn't turn out quite the way I planned it...so I let it simmer in my head for a little while and thus, here is the result! I hope you enjoy it, and please, please, please, tell me what you think of it so I can decide whether or not to continue it (I mean, I'll probably continue it, but if y'all don't it that much, I'll focus more of my energy on my other fics...so yeah...) Enjoy!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto, or any of its characters. All rights belong to Masashi Kishimoto.**

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Generate a report of last month's budget analysis to be compared to this month's budget, create a report detailing the differences to be sent to the hire-ups for approval to be faxed to the Hardman & Myers, phone Hardman & Myers' chief of marketing to discuss the terms of their business proposal to be discussed during next week's meeting, put in a request off for a dentist appointment for Friday, September 12th, call the dentists' office to reschedule the appointment for the twelfth, and review notes from last week's conference call to be discussed during Thursday's meeting.

These were just _some_ of the things on Itachi Uchiha's to-do list for today.

"Smile, Itachi!" Kisame encouraged him. "You look like you're being tortured over there."

Sharing lunch with his co-worker was not one of them. "That's because I am." Itachi responded. "Remind me why we couldn't have eaten in the office again?"

Kisame shook his head and cracked an amused smile. "Because if we'd eaten at the office, I wouldn't have been able to spend as much time talking to you!"

"What is there to talk about? My life revolves around my work; you of all people should know that." Itachi answered. _What don't you understand?_

Just then, the tiny chime above the doorway jingled, signaling the entrance of a customer, and what sounded like several small children.

"Mommy, I need to go pottyyyyyy." A little boy whined as he clung to his very pregnant mother's yoga pants.

"I know, sweetie, I know." His mother cooed, smoothing down his platinum blonde hair.

Behind her trailed another boy who looked to be a year or two older than the other, and a sour-faced little girl with a ponytail.

"Poke!" The older boy said, jabbing a finger into his sister's shoulder.

"Christopher! I said _stop poking me!_ " She wailed.

"Christopher, honey, stop poking your sister." His mother sighed, and shooed the two in the direction of the bathrooms as best as she could with the youngest boy wrapped around her leg.

"But mommmm, I'm just playing poker; get it? _Poke-her_?" He joked.

"I don't care what it is, just stop it, you hear me?"

"Mommy, I can't hold it in any longer!" The youngest wailed.

The mother, visibly flustered and probably running on very few hours of sleep, took the boy's hand in her own (as well as she could given the size of her pregnant belly), and herded the brood in the direction of the women's bathroom.

"I'm not going in there!" The older boy protested. "It's for girls!"

"Well I'm not leaving you out here alone, so go." The mother ordered, and shooed him inside.

 _"_ _I don't wanna go in there, it's for girls!" Sasuke complained. "I wanna go with Itachi!"_

 _Mikoto gave her eldest son a sympathetic look, but before she could open her mouth to say anything, Itachi stood up and reached out to take Sasuke's hand in his own. "Come on, Sasuke, let's go to the boys' bathroom."_

Itachi smiled at the memory the scene in front of them evoked. "Poor thing." He whispered.

"She's in over her head." Kisame stated and took a long sip of his soda. "Oh well. That's what she gets for having so many kids."

"Maybe they're meeting their father for lunch here." Itachi suggested.

"Meeting him?" Kisame scoffed. "They should've waited until he was along to help!" He said and leaned back in his chair.

Itachi hummed in agreement and took a sip of his own drink. "Are you finished eating yet?"

Caught red handed, Kisame shifted in his chair so that he was facing forward and took a bite of his sandwich. "No, why?"

Itachi groaned. "Well either hurry up and finish it or pack it up for later on because I, unlike you, have a million things to do still today." Out of the corner of his eye, the youngest girl burst out from the bathroom, with her older brother chasing after her.

"Unlike _you_ , I don't have the metabolism of a thirty-five year old and need to pace myself. If I don't, I'll—Itachi?" He asked when he realized that Itachi was not sitting across from him anymore.

He glanced outside where Itachi was yanking two of the small children they saw earlier out of the street as a car horn blared.

He glanced outside to see Itachi yanking two small children – the ones he recognized from earlier – out of the street just as a car soared past them, blaring its horn. Beside him, the children's pregnant mother came waddling as fast as she could with her younger boy struggling to keep up with her.

Outside, the mother pulled a tearful girl and pouting boy into her embrace. "Oh my gosh, thank you so much, sir!" She sobbed.

"It's nothing." Itachi said, passing off his heroic feat off as if he went around saving children's lives every day of the week.

Dislodging her children from the crook of her neck, she reached into her pocket bag. "How much were your meals? I'll pay for them both." She offered.

Itachi shook his head. "There's no need for that; you have enough on your plate as it is." He said and averted his gaze to where the oldest boy was arguing with his sister.

"It's your fault, Christopher!"

"Is not!" He argued back.

"Both of you, enough!" The mother shouted and turned to face Itachi again. "Are you sure?"

Itachi nodded and extended a hand to help her up off the ground. "Keep it."

-8-8-8-

"—and the next thing I know, you're in the middle of the street like some kind of Superman!" Kisame exclaimed on their way back to the office, recounting the details of Itachi's five minutes of fame.

"If I hadn't stepped in, they could've been killed." Itachi explained. "I can't imagine how the mother would feel if that happened, let alone the little brother." If Itachi had died in such a manner, what would have become of their family? And of Sasuke? He shook the thought from his head, refusing to give any more thought to the issue.

"Have you ever thought about having any kids, Itachi?"

Itachi raised a skeptical brow. "Me? No."

"Why not? You'd make a terrific parent, after what you did with those kids today." Kisame said.

"I did what any other human being would do." He said. "And if you haven't noticed, I don't possess the organs required to even _have_ children."

"Really? I would've never guessed, what with those child-bearing hips of yours!" Kisame joked. "There's several ways to have children! A one-night stand gone wrong,"

Itachi cringed. "Pass."

"Marriage,"

"I'm not seeing anyone right now."

"Adoption," Kisame said, counting the different methods on his fingertips.

"Too much of a time commitment."

"Surrogacy so that the kid has your genes too,"

"Kisame, look, I don't have the time for such a huge commitment right now and I'm not sure that I ever will."

"Kidnapping is free." Kisame suggested.

"I'm not going to kidnap somebody's child." Itachi sighed. "If I wanted to have a baby, I should've settled down a long time ago. And while surrogacy and adoption are valid options, a child deserves to be brought up in a home with two loving parents, not one lonely, workaholic of a parent."

"You're not lonely when you have Uncle Kisame!" Kisame beamed and roughly clapped Itachi on the back. "And it's your fault you're such a workaholic."

Itachi shook his head and opened the glass doors to their office building. "I wouldn't be such a workaholic if I didn't go out to lunch instead of finishing my work." He said and immediately realized the error in his logic.

"Spoken like a true workaholic, Itachi." Kisame mused.

-8-8-8-

"I never really _knew_ Sakura," Itachi stated at his brother and sister-in-law's memorial service on September twelfth, "but I always heard about her, starting when her and my brother were in grade school. Sasuke used to come home and tell me all sorts of stories of this 'annoying girl' in his class who always followed him around at recess and I couldn't help but smile. And all throughout middle school and high school, I'd hear the same stories: 'she's so annoying, why won't she leave me alone?' he'd grumble. I don't know how it happened, but sometime during their time at college, his feelings had changed and her dreams had come true and shortly afterwards, we gained a new addition to the family." Itachi said, meeting eyes with a timid girl with red glasses holding onto a woman Itachi vaguely recognized as Sakura's mother. "Since their relationship was blooming, I told myself that I'd sit down with this woman who, after so many years of chasing after my little brother, managed to capture his heart. Little did I know that they would move across the country for Sasuke's job and I would never get the opportunity, something I have come to regret.

But even more so, I regret not spending enough time with my little brother Sasuke, when he was alive. So many times, he would run up to me and plead 'big brother, big brother, play hide and seek with me!' or 'let's play tag, big brother!' and I always told him 'later, Sasuke,' or 'not now.'" He said and looked up to meet the saddened faces of his family and Sakura and Sasuke's friends. "His untimely death has made me realize the more important things in life. No matter how busy we are, nothing in life is guaranteed. Had I known that Sasuke and Sakura would die at the age of thirty, I would've taken time off to fly out and visit them." Itachi sighed. "I'd give anything to catch up with Sasuke again, to ask about his job, to see how he's doing, and sit down with Sakura for five, ten minutes at least." He forced a quivering smile. "I suppose that will have to wait until we meet again." He said and stepped away from the podium.

"Oh honey, that was beautiful!" His mother gushed after the ceremony.

Itachi, almost a foot taller than her now, smiled and moved to embrace her in his arms where she promptly fell to pieces and cried into his suit jacket. Itachi remained silent and simply held her there when his father came into view.

"Nice speech, son." He said, giving Itachi a tiny embrace over his weeping wife.

"Thanks." Itachi said. "How are you holding up?"

Fugaku shrugged. "I've been doing fairly well but as you can see, your brother's death has hit your mother hard."

Itachi nodded. Mikoto was still sobbing into his shirt, muttering something about "reckless driving."

On the edge of his vision, Itachi noticed a couple approaching him.

"That was nice, what you said about our daughter." Mebuki Haruno said.

At the sound of Mebuki's voice, Mikoto immediately pulled away from her son and attempted to collect herself in the presence of Sakura's parents.

"Thank you." Itachi politely replied. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"As are we." Mebuki said, reaching out to give Itachi a hug. Her husband nodded in agreement and gave Itachi a tight hug after his wife had let go of him.

"Sarada," Kizashi said, nudging the puffy-eyed child forward, "why don't you say hi to your uncle?"

"Hi." Sarada said, but remained glued to Kizashi's hip.

Kizashi smiled. "She's still a little upset. These past few days have been really hard for her." He explained.

Itachi smiled and offed a small wave in Sarada's direction, chuckling when she ducked behind Kizashi.

"Hi there!" Mikoto cooed, unable to resist greeting the young girl.

"I assume you haven't been made aware of Sakura and Sasuke's decision regarding Sarada?" Mebuki asked him.

Itachi shook his head. "I was not, no. Why?"

Mebuki glanced at Kizashi, deferring the answer to her husband. "It would seem that Sakura and Sasuke, wanted _you_ to be the one to care for Sarada should anything ever happen to them."

"What?" Sarada exclaimed. "I wanna live with you, grandma and grandpa!"

Kizashi knelt down to look Sarada directly in the eyes and smiled. "Sarada, honey. I know Itachi's a stranger to you, but he's young. He'll live way longer than grandma and I will. You don't want to take care of us when we're old and senile, do you?"

Sarada violently shook her head. "I don't care! I don't want to live with somebody I don't know! Uncle or not! I wanna live with you guys, grandpa!" She cried.

Kizashi pulled her into his arms and rubbed soothing circles into her back. "There, there, it's okay. I know this is a lot, but we're still trying to figure everything out, all right? Nothing is said and done yet."

In an attempt to escape the unpleasant atmosphere that had overcome them, Itachi glanced at Mebuki, whose mouth was drawn into a tight line. "I agree with her." She muttered under her breath.

"Let's give them a moment." Fugaku whispered into Mikoto's ear.

Mikoto looked up at her husband with pleading eyes and nodded submissively as he led her to a table housing the refreshments. Itachi followed, unwilling to burden Mebuki and Kizashi as they dealt with Sarada's raw emotions.

"I don't know why Sasuke thought this was a good idea." Fugaku uttered when they reached the refreshments table.

"I know Itachi hasn't seen her since she was a baby, but he's still her uncle." Mikoto said.

"It's not about how long it's been, Mikoto, it's about the fact that Itachi doesn't have time to take on such a heavy burden." Fugaku argued, pouring himself a drink from the plastic water dispenser.

Caught in between not only his in-laws and his parents, but his father and mother, Itachi pulled out his phone to check for any e-mails he could dismiss while he listened to them bicker back and forth. He was surprised to find that, in addition to eight new e-mails, he'd received a text message from Kisame.

 _'_ _How are you holding up?'_ The message read.

Mikoto glared at her husband. "Sarada is not a burden, Fugaku! And besides, Itachi can handle such a great responsibility, can't you, honey?"

Itachi shrugged in response to his mother's question and typed back a response. _'Fine.'_

"Didn't you hear her? She doesn't even want to live with him! He's a complete stranger to her! Sasuke erred when he decided that Sarada should live with someone she met when she was only a few days old! And Itachi has a career to focus on. He doesn't have time to babysit his brother's mista—"

 _'_ _Remember, im hot for you'_ His next text read and was quickly followed with the correction _'*here. i meant to say im here for you, not hot for you.'_

"Weren't you listening to what Kizashi said?" Mikoto asked.

"What does he have to do with anything? We're talking about Itachi! Not Kizashi!"

"Kizashi told us that he and Mebuki won't live forever. What is Sarada supposed to do if they die unexpectedly? Where will she go then?" Mikoto asked and caressed her husband's shoulders. "Sarada has had enough tragedy and heartbreak to deal with. Sasuke wouldn't have named Itachi to be Sarada's guardian if it wasn't in her best interests."

 _'_ _Thanks.'_ Itachi smiled at his co-worker's awkward text messaging skills. Itachi himself didn't text that often, but when he did, he made sure that it contained what he intended to say as to avoid embarrassing messages such as this one. Still, it managed to bring a much needed smile to Itachi's face in times such as these.

As soon as he pressed the "send" button, he pushed his phone back into the pocket of his trousers and attempted to ease his way back into his parent's discussion.

Fugaku frowned. "He obviously didn't consider her best interests when he decided to have her, that's for sure."

"Fugaku!" Mikoto hissed and slapped his shoulder. "Don't say such things at your son's funeral! It's disrespectful!"

 _Those e-mails were probably important._ Itachi thought to himself and pulled his phone from his pocket once more. _Hopefully they'll work everything out by the time I'm finished._

But the reality of the situation was that they would not reach an agreement by the time Itachi was finished reading and responding to e-mails. They wouldn't come to an agreement in the car, or once they got home, or the next day, or even the next week. As far as Sarada's welfare was concerned, Fugaku and Mikoto would most likely never reach a unified consensus.

Mebuki and Kizashi Haruno, on the other hand, were the exact opposite. Kizashi, like Mikoto, believed that Itachi was the right choice for Sarada's guardian whereas Mebuki, like Fugaku, thought herself and Kizashi to be better candidates.

Either way, the decision was up to Itachi, who was caught in the middle.

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 **1\. I didn't put any research into the first paragraph (I know, The Secret Sal, you're shocked) because, quite frankly, writing fanfiction is not my job (I wish it was, lol) but it ain't. Therefore, if I don't feel like putting research into my craft, then I don't feel like it.**

 **2\. I did research legal guardianship (because it's a major aspect of the story and I wanted it to be accurate). If you want to know all the legal details about that, PM me, and I'll describe the process for you.**

 **3\. I can't remember the last time I've been to a funeral, so hopefully the funeral segment was true to life.**

 **4\. What did y'all think of the way I've portrayed the characters? (Like, was Kisame too bubbly? Did Itachi's dry sense of humor seem out of place? What did you think about Mikoto, Fugaku, Mebuki and Kizashi? (I have never written Mebuki or Kizashi before, so this was a first))**

 **5\. PM me with any questions! Or leave a review with questions! I'll try to answer them to the best of my ability!**

 **6\. Check out my profile page for story updates (I'll tell you if I'm stuck on a chapter, or whatever the hell I'm up to in regards to the story's progress)**

 **Please review your thoughts! Reviews make me happy and help me to update faster! (And did I mention that they make me happy?)**

 **Until next time~**

 **Sasori33-001**


	2. Decisions, Decisions

**[A/N]: According to the many, many, many reviews I've gotten for chapter one, this story is one I should start focusing more on...(now all I gotta do is think about the plot!) As a thanks for the many reviews I've received, I cranked out chapter two. I hope you enjoy and please continue to leave me reviews!**

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"Oh, so _now_ you have time to eat lunch with me?" Kisame smirked.

Itachi rolled his eyes. He just returned from his bereavement leave the day before and had a million things on his mind that he needed to process and what better person to use as a springboard than his talkative co-worker, Kisame?

"See?" Kisame said. "I knew adopting a kid would do you a world of good."

"I'm not adopting her." Itachi examined the contents of the break room coffee pot. There was a good amount of coffee left over still, but it wasn't hot.

"You're not?" Kisame asked.

"The technical term is 'gaining legal guardianship.' Adopting her would make me her father and take that title away from Sasuke." Itachi explained. He wanted a fresh pot of coffee, not one that was sitting out for who knows how long. But it would be a waste to dump half a pot of perfectly good, albeit cold, coffee down the drain.

"So? Sasuke's dead. What does he care?" Kisame remarked and ducked into the fridge to get his lunch. When he stood up with his lunch in hand, Itachi was glaring at him. "Too soon? Sorry." He apologized and waited for Itachi to turn around and finish making himself some coffee or whatever the heck he was doing over there. "I knew 'gaining legal guardianship' of a child would do you a world of good! You, me, and the kid will be taking day trips to the aquarium and the beach and the boardwalk and do all the fun things you refused to do when you were kid-less!"

"I haven't decided if I'm going to go through with it yet." Itachi said and poured himself a cup of coffee. There was no sense in pouring it down the drain.

Kisame did a double take. "What? What do you mean you haven't decided if you're going to go through with it or not? She's your niece, isn't she?"

Itachi nodded and took a seat at the table. "It's complicated."

"How?" Kisame challenged as he reached into his brown paper bag.

Itachi watched as he produced the usual from the bag – a plastic sandwich bag containing a tuna sandwich. "For starters, I'm extremely busy right now, what with this project we're working on, and contract negotiations with Hardman & Myers, and everything else I have going.

"So?" Kisame took a bite of his sandwich. "You'll make time." He said through a mouthful of tuna.

Itachi crinkled his nose at the smell. You would think that he'd be accustomed to the scent since Kisame had been eating the same thing for the past several months or so, but he hadn't. "At the expense of what? This project? I can't jeopardize the time we've put in and the progress we've made so far—"

"Nothing." Kisame said, halting Itachi mid-sentence. When it was apparent that the Uchiha didn't understand the relevance of his statement, he explained. "You won't be jeopardizing anything. You'll just make time."

"How?"

Kisame chuckled. "You know, for being valedictorian of your graduating class, you're awfully dim sometimes, you know that? I guess that's what happens when you pursue your Master's." He joked, earning another scorching glare from his co-worker. "Knowing you, you'll find time to take care of the kid—"

"Sarada." Itachi corrected.

"Knowing you, you'll find time to take care of the kid," Kisame continued as if Itachi hadn't said anything, " _and_ fulfil your responsibilities to the company at the same time."

"I don't know." Itachi admitted, clutching his cold coffee mug.

"How old is she?"

"Ten."

Kisame nodded. "So she's old enough to be enrolled in school for what? Seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven," Kisame said and counted the hours off on his fingers, "twelve, one, two – nine hours a day?"

Itachi wanted to tell him that at Sarada's age, she would be enrolled in school from 8am – 3pm, not 7am – 2pm, but bit his tongue. "Yeah…?"

"So for nine hours a day, she'll be in school, and you'll be at work. That's plenty of time for you to get everything done at work." Kisame said and brought a hand up to his mouth to whisper something. "You don't _have_ to take your work home with you, you know." He whispered.

Itachi sat back in his chair and sighed. "Working at home is the best way to make certain I'm prepared for the day." He explained. "Kisame, I have so much on my plate right now that bringing _some_ of it home helps decrease my stress here at work."

"Speaking of having too much on your plate," Kisame gestured to the coffee mug clutched in his co-worker's hands, "where is your plate?"

"You mean my lunch?" Itachi asked.

Kisame nodded.

"It's in the fridge." Itachi answered.

"Then go get it. What'd you bring?"

"Pasta salad." Itachi replied and rose to his feet.

"You'll make time." Kisame said, bringing the focus back to the conversation at hand. "Besides, how much work can a nine year old be?"

Itachi reached into the fridge behind Kisame and pulled out his own lunch. "She recently lost both of her parents in a car accident and would be forced to move across the country to live with me." Itachi explained. "On top of that, I'm a complete stranger to her."

"I thought you said you met her when she was a baby?"

Itachi sighed. "I could count the number of times I've seen her before now on one hand, Kisame. She probably doesn't even remember me."

"She does now." Kisame said and averted his eyes to avoid Itachi's piercing stare. "What's the big deal? You're her uncle. It's not like she's being sent to live with a foster family or live in an orphanage or something. Then she'd be _surrounded_ by complete strangers!"

"I suppose that's true." Itachi sighed and pushed around his pasta noodles with the tines of his fork. "But uncle or not, she doesn't remember me. I might as well be her foster parent."

Kisame shrugged and retracted his tuna sandwich container. "Don't worry about it. Sure, you'll be a stranger at first, but the fact of the matter is, you're her uncle Itachi. You're her father's _brother_. You are probably the best candidate there is for her."

"Tell that to my father." Itachi muttered, piercing three noodles on his fork.

Kisame wrinkled his brow. "Why? What's he got to do with anything?"

"He doesn't approve." Itachi answered.

Kisame threw his hands up in disbelief. "So what if he doesn't approve?! He's not the one taking care of the kid! You are! Who cares what he has to say?" Kisame protested and was quiet for a moment. "Actually, what _did_ he have to say?"

Itachi rolled his eyes. "He thinks that such a big responsibility will distract me from what's more important."

"Which is what? What's more important than taking care of your orphaned niece?"

"In his eyes, work." Itachi said. "I don't know. He's always been critical of Sasuke ever since he impregnated Sakura during their last year of college. Add in the fact that he's never really liked Sakura either, stating that her priorities are askew."

"So? What does that have to do with you?"

"He thinks that Sasuke made a mistake and ruined his life by having a child at the age of twenty-two and that I shouldn't have to clean up his mistakes and ruin my own."

Kisame shook his head and muttered something under his breath before speaking. "Your father has issues; in fact, he's is the reason why _you_ have so many issues!"

Itachi nearly choked on a noodle. " _Me?_ "

"Admit it, Itachi. That man is the reason why you're so screwed up. He's the reason why you're such a workaholic; he's the reason why you don't take time out for yourself, the reason why you don't have any hobbies, the reason why you can't decide if you should adopt your _niece_ or ship her off to some random foster family!"

"If I chose to decline guardianship of her, she'll most likely continue to stay with Sakura's parents." Itachi stated, ignoring Kisame's remarks about his father's influence on his life. "And my father's not the only one who thinks I'm not the best candidate, Sakura's mother doesn't think so either."

"What about Sakura's father? And what does _your_ mother think about all of this _nonsense_?" Kisame asked.

Itachi pursed his lips. "Sakura's father agrees with Sasuke and Sakura's decision to name me as Sarada's legal guardian should anything happen to them. He said that it would be better for somebody young like me to look after her rather than someone older like themselves."

"And your mother? What does she think?"

"She's delighted to be able to see more of her grandchild." Itachi answered.

"Well there you go!" Kisame cheered. "I'm glad to hear that not everyone in your family is completely screwed up!"

Itachi fixed him with a disapproving glare. "Sakura's parents aren't that old." He continued. "They're in their late-fifties. They'd only have to care for her until she's eighteen at the very least."

Kisame sat back in his chair and brought a contemplative finger to his lips. "Let's see, round late fifties to sixty plus seven or so equals sixty-seven. Add in college and we've got seventy-one or so. Add in med school and we've got eighty something?" He asked. "How long does it take to get your doctorate?"

Itachi sighed. "I doubt she'll need much attention by the time she gets to med school, if she even decides to go down that route."

"Let's look at our other options, shall we? Thirty-five plus eight equals forty-three; add-in college and you'll be forty-seven, and add in med-school and you'll be around the same age as Sakura's parents when she finally leaves the nest!" Kisame concluded.

"That may be, but Sarada's more comfortable with Sakura's parents than she is with me. She's grown up with them; they were the ones who took care of her when Sasuke and Sakura were killed and she's staying over at her house until _I_ come to a decision." He chuckled. "If I were really the uncle you portray me to be, why would I be weighing the pros and cons of consenting to being her legal guardian? A _true_ uncle would drop everything and say 'yes' immediately. A _true_ uncle would've spent more time in his niece's life than what I've spent with her."

Kisame smiled. "You wanna know what I think a true uncle looks like? A true uncle is a hard worker, and always has been. A true uncle wouldn't rush in and make a brash decision without considering the consequences. A true uncle would examine everything that could possibly go wrong because deep down, he wants to be the perfect uncle his brother and his brother's wife thought of him as. A _true_ uncle wants nothing more than to spend time with his niece; the only thing holding him back is his fear of failure."

Itachi wouldn't admit it to his face, but Kisame's words made a profound impact on him in that moment. For the past several days, he'd spent all of his free time wondering what the right decision was. What would Sasuke want? Was it in Sarada's best interests? Was his father right? Was Mebuki right? Was he cut out for such a task? Did he have the time? These questions, along with many more, flooded his conscience, and kept him awake late at night when, in reality, Itachi knew the answers all along. He was just afraid to admit them to himself.

"Did my words hit home, Itachi?" Kisame asked, snapping him out of his daydreaming. "You were smiling. Did my words get through your thick, stubborn skull?"

Itachi considered the repercussions of admitting that Kisame was right and allowed himself to smile a little. "Fine. You're right. I want to be a part of Sarada's life, but I'm afraid of failing. Happy?"

Kisame shrugged. "I'm happy that you figured out the error of your ways, but you're not completely convinced yet, are you?"

And once again, Kisame was right. "I'm still a stranger to her." He said, just barely above a whisper. "In fact, I'm still a stranger to Sakura's parents. I didn't really _know_ Sakura when she was alive, much less her parents." He explained.

"Then convince them otherwise." Kisame said.

"How?"

-8-8-8-

"Thank you for coming such a long way." Itachi greeted Kizashi and Meibuki Haruno. After several hours scouring the internet for nearby places that he and Mebuki could agree on, he settled on an American bistro that he hoped would impress Sakura's parents.

"Thanks for having us!" Kizashi replied, extending a hand for a rough handshake and engulfing Itachi into a hug.

"It's not a problem." Itachi breathed and deeply inhaled when Kizashi let go of him. "Mebuki." He greeted his wife.

"This place looks expensive." She frowned.

The woman was always frowning, it seemed, but nonetheless, Itachi kept smiling. "Don't worry about it; in exchange for coming this far, the tab's on me."

"Hmph. It's gonna take a lot more than that to appease me." Mebuki scoffed. "We had to take Sarada out of school for two days; it's bad enough that her parents just died, but now we have to drag her across the country just so you can 'get to know us?'"

Kizashi placed a comforting hand on his wife's shoulder. "Honey, it's okay. He had good intentions." He soothed.

"If you wanted to get to know us, you should've visited _us_ when Sakura was alive." She spat.

"I understand." Itachi said.

"And do you know how long our flight was?" Mebuki persisted, leaning her head against her husband's chest. "We've only had a day to recover from jet-lag, and poor Sarada had to endure an hour, two hour road trip to go to your parent's house. What do you have to tell us that Sarada can't be present for? This impacts her too, you know!"

 _May I point out that I am very, very busy at work right now and made the seven hour trip to attend my brother's funeral, a time which, you could've utilized to get to know me? You should be grateful that I'm reaching out to get to know you._ Itachi wanted to say. "I realize that this is rather sudden; and I apologize for not taking the time to get to know you when your daughter was alive. However, it has come to my attention that you're uncomfortable with me becoming Sarada's legal guardian, and I want to try my best to allay your concerns over a pleasant dinner."

"What are you? A robot? You talk as if you are giving a business presentation" Mebuki accused and turned to Kizashi. "And this man is the best choice to be raising a little girl?"

"Thanks for the invitation, Itachi." Kizashi said, ignoring his wife's comment. "Now, I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving!"

Itachi forced a smile. "Follow me, then." He said, and led the couple inside.

-8-8-8-

"So what do you want to know?" Mebuki asked once they ordered their appetizers and entrees. Up until then, Itachi had been enjoying the quiet chatter of the other restaurant patrons while they perused the various menu choices.

"Well, for starters, what is it that you do for a living?" Itachi asked, trying to keep his tone even. He didn't want to come off as overconfident or condescending at any time as that would most likely jeopardize any shot he had at having a normal relationship with the couple.

"I'm a wedding planner." Mebuki answered.

Itachi nodded. _No wonder you're so grouchy…_ He thought and looked to Kizashi.

"I'm a middle school teacher." He said.

Itachi raised his eyebrows. "Really? What subject do you teach?"

"I teach history, math, and language arts." Kizashi beamed. "And a few extracurricular activities like geography here and there."

"What grade do you teach?"

"Seventh-graders." He smiled.

Itachi nodded. "You must have a lot of patience then. I presume that you like small children?"

At this, Kizashi laughed out loud. "I'd hardly call them children these days! The boys act like miniature gangsters with their shorts hanging to their ankles and the girls like to pretend that they're Beyoncé with all the make-up and short skirts they wear!"

Itachi smiled and took a sip of his water. "It seems like you enjoy what you do, nonetheless."

"You bet I do! Kids that age sure are entertaining sometimes, and other times, they're just a pain the butt, if you know what I mean!" He laughed.

"Kizashi's always been good with kids. Sarada really enjoys her grandfather's antics when she comes over to visit." Mebuki commented. "Those two were always close." She said and casually took a sip of her own water.

Itachi pursed his lips and directed his attention to Mebuki now. "So what made you want to become a wedding planner?" He asked, changing the topic of the conversation.

Mebuki blinked in confusion a few times as if she thought Itachi would make an equally snarky comment back and answered "My mother was a seamstress and I always used to love watching her work when I was a child." She said. "She designed clothes for both men and women, but the ones I liked the most were wedding dresses. I used to love hearing the brides talk about their fairy-tale wedding plans and couldn't wait for my chance to get married too. But marriage was a once in a lifetime event. I wanted to be surrounded by weddings, big and small, cheap and exorbitant all the time. So, I decided to become a wedding planner."

Itachi nodded, noting how Mebuki's eyes twinkled when she talked about her passion while Kizashi watched her with adoring eyes. They were an odd couple, but it was apparent that they were deeply in love with one another. "That's interesting. I would've never guessed that's what you do for a living." He said.

"And what is it that you do for a living?" She asked.

And just like that, all the mirth in her eyes were lost as the conversation shifted to Itachi's personal life. "I'm a management analyst."

"What made you want to do that?" She asked in a disgusted tone.

Itachi ignored her tone and shrugged. "I've always liked math, so I majored in accounting and business and management in college. I was a financial analyst for a few years after I graduated college but yearned for something more challenging, so I went back to school and worked towards my Master's degree in finances and secured a job as a management analyst."

Kizashi smiled and nodded, exuding intrigue, but Itachi could tell by looking at his eyes that he found Itachi's career boring, but that didn't bother him. Most people did.

"You must be very busy then." Mebuki said.

Itachi shrugged. "From time to time, yes, but I know how to budget my time to make room for some personal time." He answered carefully, fully aware that Mebuki was testing him.

Satisfied with his answer, Mebuki nodded and averted her gaze to where their waiter was approaching with their appetizers.

"Alright, lady and gentlemen," The waiter said, "I have a squash and apple salad,"

"Over here." Mebuki said.

"A chopped salad,"

Itachi raised his hand. "Thank you."

"And an order of crab cakes."

"That's mine!" Kizashi said.

"Your entrees will be out shortly. Until then, enjoy your appetizers!" The waiter said.

The trio nodded in unison. Kizashi immediately cut into a crab cake and shoved it into his mouth like he hadn't eaten anything in over a month. "This is heavenly, Mebuki! Wanna try some?"

Mebuki regarded her husband through narrowed eyes and smiled. "No thank you, dear, I have my own food." She said and started to mix her salad together.

Itachi followed suit, mixing his own leafy greens together and waited for whatever Mebuki was planning to throw at him next.

"So, Itachi," Mebuki started, "I suppose having your Master's degree has provided you with a hefty salary."

Itachi nodded. "I make enough money to live comfortable lifestyle."

"By comfortable, do you mean extravagant? One filled with expensive cars and imported goods?"

"Mebuki!" Kizashi chided through a mouthful of crab cake. "Stop badgering him! So what if he makes a lot of money? That's a good thing! Sarada'll be in good hands!"

Mebuki frowned and took a bite of her salad.

"I actually only own one car," Itachi answered, "and I live a very simple lifestyle. Any money I have left over after paying my rent, car, gas, utilities, and student loans gets split between a spending fund, emergency fund, and retirement."

"See?" Kizashi playfully jabbed her arm with his elbow. "The boy has everything under control! Did you hear how he spends his money?"

"That's just what he chooses the tell us." Mebuki muttered under her breath.

"Dear, come on! Lighten up! Itachi would make a perfect guardian for Sarada! He's young, he's in good shape—"

"But is he in good health?" Mebuki asked.

Itachi nodded. "I'm in perfect health, yes."

"What more could you ask for?" Kizashi asked her.

Mebuki closed her eyes. "In a perfect world, Kizashi, _we_ would have legal guardianship of Sarada. People she knows she can trust to take good care of her; not some stranger from across the country!"

"But he's not a stranger," Kizashi argued, "he's her uncle!"

"Uncle or not, he's still a stranger. He could be fabricating all the details of his life to persuade us otherwise, but I won't be fooled!" She said and rose to a stand. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to use the restroom."

Kizashi watched as his wife stormed off and looked over at Itachi who released a lengthy exhale. "Don't worry; she's always this intense." He said.

"She has a point." Itachi confessed. "I'm still a stranger to Sarada. I can say all I want to make you think otherwise, but at the end of the day, you guys don't know me, and Sarada doesn't know me."

Kizashi reached out to rest a hand on Itachi's shoulder. "Relax. I think you'll be a perfect guardian for Sarada, one-hundred percent."

Itachi smiled briefly and gently tugged Kizashi's arm from his shoulder. "You wife seems to be vehemently opposed to the idea."

"She just needs time to process everything." Kizashi said. "Sasuke and Sakura knew what they were doing when they named you Sarada's legal guardian. You're young, you're in good health, you make an excellent living, you have good manners, you're humble; what more could a person ask for?!"

Itachi shrugged. "I feel like I'm being selfish by taking her away from the ones that she knows. She already lost both of her parents; who am I to take her away from her grandparents too?"

"We'll always be around; Mebuki will make sure of it!" Kizashi joked. "Besides, Mebuki and I are too old to raise a child on our own. It's fun to have Sarada over every now and again, but if we wanted to have more children, we would've done so a long time ago!"

Itachi smiled slightly.

"Want me to let you in on a little secret?" Kizashi asked. "I've got big plans for Mebuki and I."

"Big plans?" Itachi asked.

Kizashi nodded and sat back in his chair. "I want to take some time off and travel the world with her! You know? See what there is to see outside of the country!"

"Really?" Itachi asked.

"You bet! I want to take her to places she's never been to before and experience all that I can from life before we get too old!" He laughed. "I think it'll do Mebuki good too. Sakura's death has made her tense."

 _Tense is an understatement._ Itachi thought when Kizashi leaned forward to speak to him again.

"Any who; you'll make an excellent guardian. Trust me." He winked when Mebuki returned to the table.

She immediately frowned. "You've barely touched your food since I was gone."

Kizashi looked down at his plate. "Gotta save room for the main course, of course!" He laughed.

Itachi smiled and brought his glass to his lips. With Kizashi on his side, things might work out in his favor after all.

* * *

 **And with that, I conclude the second chapter of "Through Broken Lenses." *graceful bow***

 **How did you like it? I looked up Naruto: Road to Ninja to get inspiration for Mebuki and Kizashi's characters (I saw the movie two years ago and had a rough idea what they were like) and I think I'm doing a pretty good job characterizing them so far...(if you think otherwise, feel free to let me know or give me any suggestions you may have! I'm willing to listen!)**

 **Any who, please leave a review telling me what you thought of the chapter! If all goes according to plan, Sarada should make an appearance in the next chapter (fingers crossed; don't quote me!). I probably won't update the next chapter as quickly as I updated this one because I have a really vague idea where I'm going with this story...so...we'll see!**

 **Remember to check out my profile page for story updates/chapter progress! I update that particular section pretty often (give or take a day or two).**

 **Until next time~**

 **Sasori33-001**

 **PS: I'd like to thank the guest who reviewed chapter one on July 6th! I'm glad you liked it, and I hope I updated quickly enough to satisfy your need to read more! (and based on your review, you sound like you got good taste in stories! ;) Next time, please leave a name of some sort (real or fake) so I can give you a proper shout-out!**


	3. Interference

**[A/N]: If my math is correct, it's been a full 23 days since I updated last (almost a month!) and to be honest, I had 3/4ths of the chapter already written, but due to the large increase in reviews I've been receiving, I pushed myself to finish the chapter just for you guys. Without further ado, I hope that you enjoy what I've written, and I thank you for all of your patience and support on this. ~Sasori33-001**

* * *

Kitchen.

Counters washed and sanitized, dishes done and put away, old hand towel replaced with a new one, and sink cleaned and sanitized.

Living room.

Couch sprayed with an anti-allergen solution, pillows placed, paperwork put away, and windows washed.

Front closet organized, washer and dryer cleaned and free of clothing.

Satisfied with his work in the main living area, Itachi strode over to the apartment's only bathroom, which was situated at the entrance and led directly into the master bedroom. Firmly grasping the handle, he thrust open the door and poked his head in to inspect it.

Counters washed and sanitized, sink washed and equally sanitized, tooth brush and tooth paste placed on a clean hand towel, hair dryer put away and away from the sink, razor placed in the drawer, toilet bowl and toilet exterior cleaned _twice_ for good measure, shower cleaned, soaps, shampoos and conditioners neatly organized _in_ the shower caddy where they _belong_ instead of on the built in-ledges, floor—

Itachi froze in the midst of his inspection when he heard a knock at the door. Out of habit, he checked his wrist for the time only to realize that he removed his watch and laid it on the kitchen counter before he started cleaning. "It's too early." He said under his breath and moved to answer the door.

"Wow," Kisame breathed, taking in Itachi's look of exasperation, "you look like heck!" He smiled and walked inside.

"Kisame," Itachi sighed, bringing his hand to his forehead, "I don't have time for this right now, can you please do this another time?"

Kisame shook his head. "I know your brother's in-laws are dropping the kid off today,"

"Sarada."

"and I knew that you would be running around like a chicken with your head cut off trying to make sure that everything's perfect, which," he slowly turned to examine the space around him, "it seems you've accomplished."

"I don't know, Kisame, I think I've covered every square inch of this place, but I _know_ Mebuki is going to find _something_ out of place, I—"

"Itachi. Your apartment is cleaner than the hospital's ICU. It's fine." Kisame said. "If anything, she's going to have something to say about _that_." He gestured at Itachi's hands, which were pale and shriveled from extensive cleaning. "Now I suggest you take a minute or sixty—"

"Sixty?! Kisame, I don't have that kind of time, the Haruno's are going to be here any—"

"to chill. Out." He finished.

Itachi's shoulder's dropped in mild annoyance. "The Haruno's are going to be here in less than an hour with Sarada and as I already told you, Mebuki's not very fond of me yet so of course I want to make sure that everything is in its place."

"I'll say!" Kisame smirked. "The place looks like a show room!"

Itachi shrugged. "I've cleaned everything. The kitchen, the living room, the bathroom, Sarada's room, I've swept and mopped—"

"What about your bedroom?"

"—the floor—wait…what do you mean, 'my bedroom'?"

Kisame gingerly placed the plastic grocery bag he was holding on the island counter-top. "Did'ja clean your bedroom?" He reiterated.

Itachi's shoulders drooped even further. "No…" He breathed

"I'm kidding!" Kisame laughed but Itachi had already disappeared into the master bedroom.

The bed wasn't made, there were papers strewn all over the desk, he hadn't vacuumed the carpet or washed the windows.

"Itachi, I'm kidding!" Kisame called, peering around the corner of the doorframe. "I highly doubt they're going to inspect your bedroom."

"The bathroom leads directly to it." Itachi explained as he hurriedly gathered the papers lying on his desk into neat piles. "I was a fool to assume that Mebuki wouldn't think to open the door to my bedroom."

"Then lock it!"

Itachi regarded Kisame with a glare of disapproval. "Right, because that shows them that I have _nothing_ to hide."

"And a few messy papers shows them what? That you're a hard-worker who can't be trusted to raise their grand-daughter?"

"That I'm a workaholic who won't devote the time needed to effectively raise their grand-daughter, which is enough reason for child protection services to terminate my guardianship of her, which—"

"My God, Itachi!" Kisame cried. "I don't think a few messy papers is going to get the kid taken away from you! And she's like, thirteen years old! She's not an infant who needs your undivided attention twenty-four hours a day; seven days a week! How the heck else are you going to make money to support her and yourself if you don't have a job that you're practically married to!" He said, and earned another disapproving glare. "Okay, maybe not that last part, but still! Leaving those papers out shows that you're not perfect and that you have a job that pays the bills! It's not like you have a stripper pole sitting in the middle of your room!"

"If you came here to help me calm down, you're not doing a very good job of it." Itachi sighed and moved on to fix the bed sheets.

"That's because you don't have a sense of humor." He said. "The fact that every little thing is stressing you out is a sign that you need to sit down for five minutes."

"I don't have five minutes. They'll be here—"

"In less than an hour, I know, you've already told me." Kisame said. "And yet you're still making the bed."

"I'm not taking any chances."

"And what if they show up for a surprise visit on Wednesday? Or Thursday? Or two Saturdays from today? Are you going to make sure the place is cleaned ahead of time in case such an event were to happen?" Kisame explained. "Because based on what I heard about these people, it's not unlikely that they won't show up unannounced. Then what will you do when they see your day-to-day clutter?"

"I'll tell them the truth." Itachi said as he walked past Kisame into the kitchen. "I'm far too busy to keep the place immaculate in case they randomly show up on my doorstep. I'll try my best, but I can't always guarantee that it will look like this on any given day."

"And how is today any different?"

"Today's different because I want them to know that they can trust me to raise Sarada in a safe environment." Itachi explained.

"She's not two years old, Itachi; you don't have to sterilize and baby-proof the place, you know." Kisame grinned.

"I know." He said and caught sight of the plastic bag Kisame had placed on the counter top earlier. "What's in the bag?"

Kisame stared straight ahead before he realized that it was he who put the bag there in the first place. "Oh yeah! I did some grocery shopping for dinner tonight."

"What'd you buy?" Itachi asked, peeling back one of the plastic handles to examine the bag's contents. Inside sat a suspicious brown paper bag.

"Just some champagne."

Itachi peeled away the plastic bag entirely so that he could remove the contents of the paper bag. "Thanks, but I don't know if I want to serve alcoholic beverages while Sarada's—it's not champagne."

Kisame shook his head. "Nope!"

"It's sparkling cider." Itachi finished and set the bottle on the countertop. "Thanks."

"That's what I'm here for!"

The barest of smiles appeared on Itachi's face as he reached out for his watch and fastened it on his left wrist. "They'll be here shortly and I haven't started dinner yet, so why don't I lead you out?" He lightly placed a hand on the back of Kisame's triceps to show him to the door.

"But I wanna meet these people I've heard so much about!" Kisame whined.

"Maybe some other time, Kisame; this is important." Allowing Kisame and Mebuki to interact with one another was the last thing Itachi wanted to have happen tonight.

"But I just got here!" He protested and frantically looked around for a reason to stay. "I even bought you some sparkling cider!"

"I know, and I appreciate it, but you don't understand, these people—"

"—didn't put you in charge of your brother's kid when he died, did they?" Kisame retorted, effectively silencing his co-worker. "Look, your brother and his wife wanted you to be the one to take care of their kid if they ever kicked the bucket, and they did. If they wanted her parents to take care of her, then they would've said so, but they didn't, and based on the stories I heard, I can understand why." He said. "Your niece is moving in with you today, and like it or not, she's going to be staying with you until she's eighteen years old, maybe even older than that; who knows. And if Pinkie's parents want what's best for their grandkid, they'll stay out of your way because deep down, they know that this is what's best for her. Deep down, they know that your brother knew what he was doing."

Itachi bowed his head. Once again, Kisame's words managed to hit home. Today was the day Sarada moved in with him and would stay with him for at least another eight years before she could decide what she wanted to do. But until then, Itachi would be the one who would decide what was best for her. "Ten more minutes. You can stay for ten more minutes." Itachi relented.

"Ten minutes?" Kisame asked. "When are they coming?"

Itachi shrugged and retreated into the kitchen. "In twenty-minutes, half an hour." He knelt down by the cabinet beside the stove and produced a large, stainless steel pot, followed by its lid.

"But I want to meet them!" He protested.

Itachi placed the pot under the sink faucet and filled it with water. "I already told you how important this is, Kisame." He said. "I already have enough on my plate as it is with the Haruno's dropping Sarada off, I don't need your antics to add to the mix." He hauled the water filled pot onto the stove and turned the respective dial to boiling.

"I'm hurt." Kisame pouted and leaned against the fridge with his arms crossed.

"Can you get three tomatoes out of the fridge for me?" Itachi asked, purposefully ignoring his comment. "They're in a plastic bag in the vegetable compartment."

To Itachi's surprise, Kisame complied with his request and produced three tomatoes from the refrigerator and placed them on the countertop. "Three?" He asked.

Itachi nodded. "Just sit them on the countertop; I'll dice them later."

"I'll dice them." Kisame offered. "Can you hand me a knife and a cutting board?"

Itachi stared at his co-worker for a few seconds and pulling out two jars of tomato sauce from the pantry. "You don't need to do that. I'm the one trying to impress the Haruno's, not you."

Kisame shrugged and reached out for where Itachi kept his cutting boards propped behind the sink faucet. "You said it yourself; you've got enough on your plate as it is so I might as well help contribute as much as I can, right?"

"It's nothing that I can't handle though." Itachi leaned against the countertop while Kisame reached around him to grab a knife from the knife block.

"I don't mind." Kisame said, and expertly sliced a tomato in half. "Anything to help out a friend."

Itachi regarded him out of the corner of his eye. While he appreciated Kisame's willingness to help, he couldn't bring himself to believe that it was without an ulterior motive but let it go for the time being. Besides, having a few extra hands in the kitchen wouldn't hurt, right?

It was a fine idea until a knock came fifteen minutes earlier than Itachi was expecting and Kisame was still here.

"Is that them?" Kisame asked him, flicking the tomato juice from his fingertips and into the sink.

Itachi regarded him with a look that said "who else could it be?" and sighed. "So much for keeping the two separate."

"What?" Kisame called from the kitchen.

Itachi opened the door to reveal a pouting Sarada, a sour-faced Mebuki and a smiling Kizashi. "Good afternoon; please, come in." Itachi spoke, desperately trying to mask his anxiety of what might escape Kisame's mouth.

"Don't be shy, Sarada, from today forward, this will be your new home." Mebuki said, ushering her granddaughter through the door. Something was off about Mebuki today, Itachi noticed, but couldn't put his finger on what it was.

Itachi watched them enter, briefly locking eyes with Sarada who spared a glance at him from over her shoulder before he was engulfed in one of Kizashi's strong hugs. "How're you today, Itachi?" Kizashi asked.

He was about to reply when Sarada and Mebuki stopped short at the kitchen. "And who're you?" Mebuki accused.

Dislodging himself from Kizashi's good-natured hug, Itachi uttered a quick "excuse me" and made his way to the kitchen where Kisame was standing.

"Goldiloc—" Kisame was about to respond when Itachi cut him off.

"This is Kisame." Itachi said by way of introduction. "He's a co—"

Mebuki didn't let him finish, instead turning to Kizashi with a frown of disapproval adorning her face. "Great, he's gay. Just what Sarada needs!"

He knew he shouldn't have invited Kisame in. Actually, he should've never told Kisame that they were coming over today.

"That's right!" He beamed, wrapping an arm around Itachi's shoulder. "Itachi and I have been together for five long years and our love for each other has never once wavered; not in the slightest!"

Scratch that—it was a mistake to mention that he was even considering obtaining guardianship of Sarada. He could've waited until Mebuki accepted him as Sarada's guardian and Sarada herself felt comfortable with him and casually mention it over a cup of coffee.

"Anything new?" Kisame would ask him.

And Itachi would shrug and reply "Not much. Did I tell you that I adopted my niece?"

"Wait a second, you did what? When did that happen?" Kisame would laugh.

"A couple of months ago after Sasuke's funeral. I thought I told you; guess I didn't." Itachi would say with a shrug and continue on with the rest of his day while Kisame attempted to remember any mention of adoption in their previous conversations over coffee.

But that was neither here nor there as Itachi needed to figure out how to politely send Kisame on his way or remind him of the night's importance and what would happen should Mebuki find him unfit to raise Sarada.

"Well there you go, Mebuki!" Kizashi said. "You were just saying the other night how it would be better if Sarada had two parents, and Itachi has a spouse—"

"Actually, he isn't my spouse." Itachi interjected.

"Oh. Is he your boyfriend, then?" Sakura's father asked.

"I believe the correct term is ' _loving_ boyfriend'." Kisame answered and draped his arms around Itachi's neck.

Horrified, Itachi detangled himself from Kisame's grasp and excused himself to talk to Kisame in private in the hallway outside his apartment.

"What do you think you're doing?" Itachi demanded as soon as he closed the door behind them. "I've already explained to you twice how important this is to me and yet you're still trying to sabotage my dinner with the Haruno's."

Kisame shrunk back and put his arms up in surrender in the face of Itachi's unraveling composure. "I'm not trying to sabotage you, Itachi, I swear! I just thought—"

"Then why would you tell them that you're my boyfriend? You are my co-worker! Imagine what they would think if they knew that we worked together!" He sighed and brought a hand to his forehead. "Mebuki already looks at me with the same disapproving eyes as my father did; it won't take long before Kizashi does the same."

"Now, don't get yourself down; they only just arrived!" Kisame said.

"It's bad enough that dealing with her is like dealing with my father, something I thought I had escaped from _years_ ago, and on top of that, I have to constantly keep an eye on you to make sure that you're not undoing all my hard work!"

Kisame opened his mouth to say more, and closed it.

"And you're the one who convinced me that I should adopt a child in the first place, and when I finally do, it's like you're trying to take that away from me!"

"You're right." He finally responded. "And I'm sorry. I really wanted to meet the people who managed to get under Itachi Uchiha's skin and I forgot what was important and got carried away."

"Thank you." Itachi said.

"I just thought that maybe I could lighten them up a bit so that you would relax a little, that's all." Kisame said.

The corners of Itachi's mouth turned upwards slightly. He was about to speak when Kizashi opened the door. "Sorry to be _interrupting_ , but your sauce is _erupting_." Kizashi chuckled.

Itachi's eyes widened. He forgot that he was bringing both a pot of tomato sauce and a pot of water to a boil inside and rushed past Kizashi to correct it.

"What're you trying to make?" Mebuki asked, turning the element down on the tomato sauce. "Spaghetti?" She asked.

"Yeah." Itachi mumbled and moved to pour the spaghetti noodles into the pot of boiling water. "Sorry about that. I needed to have a talk with Kisame about something." He said.

"And that couldn't have waited until after you were done cooking?" Mebuki asked, stepping out of Itachi's way now that he was behind the stove. "How can I trust that this won't happen when Kizashi or myself isn't here to fix it?" She asked.

"It's my fault." Kisame said, stepping between them. "I'm Itachi's co-worker, not his boyfriend. I was acting out of line earlier, and he took me into the hallway to explain how important tonight is for not only him, but for your granddaughter as well." He gestured to Sarada who was watching them from the couch. "Trust me; Itachi's a good guy, and a hard worker. The man is a perfectionist who spends all of his free time worrying so I think your granddaughter's in good hands with him."

The entire time Itachi was adding the pasta noodles to the boiling water or the diced tomatoes to the sauce pan, he was listening to Kisame's words. And for the first time this evening, he felt as if a weight had been lifted from his chest and his shoulders. "Thank you." Itachi turned around and told him.

Kisame gave a short nod in his direction. "No problem." He said and extended his hand to shake Mebuki's. "It was nice meeting you, ma'am."

"It was nice meeting you too." She said, returning the handshake.

"Nice to meet you too, sir." He said to Kizashi.

"Leaving so soon?" Kizashi asked him.

"You can stay, if you want to, Kisame." Itachi offered.

Kisame shook his head. "I expect to see more and more of you guys around here." He said to Mebuki and Kizashi. "And I'll see _you_ at work." He directed towards Itachi. "But tonight's about Siracha, not me."

"Siracha?" Mebuki balked while Kizashi released an uproarious belly-laugh.

"Sarada." Itachi muttered.

"Sarada, gotcha. Sorry, I'm bad with names." He explained. "But anyways, tonight is about Sarada, not me. I don't want to impose on your last night together before you go back home, and I don't want to interfere with her getting to know her uncle Itachi, either." He said and turned on his heel. "It was nice meeting you! You'll have to tell me how everything turns out over a cup of coffee, Itachi, okay?"

"Okay." Itachi nodded and checked to make sure that nothing was boiling over before he walked Kisame out.

"Good luck." Kisame said and playfully poked Itachi in the ribs with his elbow.

"Thanks." Itachi replied and rubbed the spot where Kisame had jabbed him.

"It's too bad you're not into him." Kizashi commented when Itachi returned.

Itachi blinked a few times in confusion. "Excuse me?"

"Because you two make a great pair."

* * *

 **That last sentence is dedicated to The Secret Sal, and before I say anything more, allow me to say this:**

 **Disclaimer: The views of Kizashi Haruno are solely his own and in no way reflect Itachi's sexual orientation or the path I will take his relationship with Kisame in the future. In short, Itachi is heterosexual; Kizashi is just sayin'. Sorry The Secret Sal :(**

 **Alright, on to the fun stuff. I have a confession to make. The Secret Sal and AbsoluteAnarchy can tell you that I am a perfectionist to the umpteenth degree and that I put forth a lot of research and planning into everything that I do. This fic, however, is another story entirely. I have no idea what I'm doing, or where I'm going with this (I have a smidgen of an idea, but it's super vague and very far off). My point is, I don't know how to get from point A to point Z (but I do know what's going to happen in point X). I have a better idea of what I am doing in my other fics, "Parallel Lines" and "Things Better Left Unsaid" and want to devote more of my attention to the two of them since I know what I'm doing.**

 **That's not to say that I won't update this fic anymore. I will. I just can't promise that I'll update it _quickly_.**

 **On that note, I bid you farewell, until next time~**

 **Sasori33-001**

 **PS: As always, leave a review and tell me what you think/what you liked! ;)**


	4. Awkward Silence

**Wow, I'm surprised by how quickly I managed to update this. Without further ado, I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

"—and then I said to her, I said 'When it comes to math, there's no such thing as a right way or a wrong way, just as there isn't a wrong angle to approach a math problem, only a right angle!'" Kizashi laughed, bringing his palm down on the table in a fit of hysteria as his wife shook her head.

"I told you, Kizashi, honey, that story isn't that funny." She sighed.

Kizashi wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes. "Then explain how I had the entire room in stitches!"

Mebuki ignored him and directed her attention to Sarada who was absent mindedly twirling spaghetti noodles around the tings of her fork. "Stop playing with your food, Sarada! There kids in other parts of the world who would be more than happy to have even a _bite_ of your food and you're playing with it!"

"I'm not hungry." She muttered.

"But spaghetti and meatballs are your favorite! He even put extra tomatoes in the sauce, just how you like it!" Mebuki argued. "Though I'm not sure how he knew to do that."

"It's a force of habit." Itachi explained. "Sasuke insisted that I put extra tomatoes in the sauce when I cooked it for him when he was younger, and I still, to this day, continue to add them in whenever I make it." He said and immediately cursed himself when Sarada's head drooped at the mention of her deceased father.

"Give her a break, Mebuki, this is all very new for her." Kizashi explained. "Think about it; she's hundreds of miles away from the life she knew and she's surrounded by unfamiliar sights and people, not to mention that it's the beginning of the school year, and she can't afford to miss too many days or—"

He stopped in mid-sentence when Sarada hopped out of her chair and ran down the hallway.

"Sarada!" Itachi and Mebuki called out in unison.

"Oops. Did I say something I shouldn't have?" Kizashi asked.

"Of course not, dear; I would've rubbed this entire situation in her face too if I were you. Honestly, Kizashi! What were you thinking?! The child's been through enough already and you thought it was a good idea to make matters worse by saying all of those things!"

"I'm sorry! I didn't know! And you were yelling at her too, Mebuki! I was just trying to make things better!"

"Well obviously you didn't!" Mebuki groaned.

Under the cover of the Haruno's arguing, Itachi managed to slip away to search for Sarada. He didn't hear the tumblers in the lock rearranging, which meant that Sarada didn't leave the apartment, and he was sure that she ran down the hall, which left three places – her bedroom, the bathroom, and Itachi's bedroom.

"Sarada?" Itachi said and gently knocked on the door to his old study, which he had converted back into a bedroom when he decided to take guardianship of Sarada. "Are you in there?"

"Go away." Came a muffled voice from inside.

"Can I come in?"

"I said go away."

Just then, Mebuki rounded the corner. "Let me talk to her." She said, and pressed her ear against the door with her hand poised around the door knob. "Sarada, honey, it's grandma; can I come in?"

"No."

Mebuki frowned. "Sarada, honey, please. It's your last night with us, and you're going to lock yourself in your room for the rest of the evening?"

"So what? You're never coming back ever again? Great!" She shouted.

"That's not what I meant, sweetheart. I meant that it's the last night that you'll be seeing us in a while. We'll come visit you as often as we can, but it's expensive, honey."

"Why can't I just live with you guys then? It'd be a lot cheaper and it wouldn't suck as much."

"Let me talk to her for a minute." Kizashi said. "I know that things aren't looking so hot right now, but you don't have to be so cold about it, Sarada—ow! Mebuki! That hurt!" Kizashi cried and rubbed the tender spot on his shoulder where his wife hit him. "You know that I have shoulder problems!"

"Really, Kizashi? This is no time for word play! This is my last night with our granddaughter and you're pushing her away with your puns!" Mebuki spat. "Sarada, honey, listen to me; we're going back home on Monday, so this is one of your last chances to spend with us before we go back, do you understand?"

"Then take me with you if you're gonna miss me that much!"

Mebuki groaned and twisted the door knob. "Sarada, I'm coming in." She said, and invited herself inside.

The entire time, Itachi remained leaning against the wall opposite to Sarada's door and waited for Kizashi to invite himself in as well. "Aren't you going in too?" He asked him.

"If I go in there, I'll only end up upsetting her more. Both Sarada, _and_ Mebuki!" He laughed. "How come you aren't going in there?"

Itachi blinked. "I don't think it's wise for me to force myself on her when she hasn't had enough time to get used to me yet. To her, I'm still a stranger."

Kizashi shrugged. "And here I thought you were just standing around because you found my wife to be entertaining!"

This time, it was Itachi's turn to shrug. He didn't find Mebuki's parenting style to be entertaining so much as incredibly forceful and intrusive. "She's a lot like Sasuke."

"Who? Mebuki?"

Itachi shook his head, causing his long fringes to shift slightly. "No, Sarada. I have a feeling that if you leave her alone for a few hours, she'll eventually calm down."

"You're probably right. I've tried to tell that to Mebuki over and over, but she never listens." His smile suddenly faded as a small shadow overcame his features. "While I absolutely adore Mebuki and love her to pieces, she can be a little over the top sometimes. I remember when Sakura was growing up, the two of them would fight like cats doused in boiling water, those two."

 _Interesting analogy,_ Itachi thought to himself, but didn't comment on it.

"There was a time when Sakura absolutely _hated_ her mother. 'That's it! When I'm eighteen, I'm moving out and living on my own so I can get as far away from you two as possible!' I remember her saying a couple of months after she turned seventeen. And she stuck to that promise like glue, reminding us every couple of weeks what she was planning to do."

"But she didn't, did she?" Itachi asked.

Kizashi shook his head and laughed. "Goodness, no! I remember the day she turned eighteen, Mebuki was drinking a cup of coffee in the kitchen downstairs and said to her 'What are you still doing here? I thought you were moving out?' and Sakura confessed that she didn't have the money to support herself and without our help, she couldn't possibly afford to pay her way through college, much less med school!" He laughed.

Itachi smiled slightly when Mebuki stormed out from the room. "She doesn't want to talk to me, she wants, you, Kizashi." She steamed.

"My turn? If you say so!" He beamed and entered the room. "Hey, kumquat, you wanted to see me?"

"Kumquat?" Itachi asked.

"It's his nickname for her, don't ask me how he came up with it." Mebuki sighed and crossed her arms. "She's stubborn like her mother, that girl."

"If parenting was easy, then we wouldn't have gray hair at age forty." Itachi joked.

In the face of Mebuki's glare, he realized that he should've known better than to try to lighten the mood in the presence of this woman. "You're just as bad as Kizashi, joking in a time of crisis like this!"

"I hardly think this is a crisis." Itachi stated. "If you ask me, she acts a lot like Sasuke, and just needs a couple of hours alone and she'll be fine." He said. "In the meantime, would you like me to make you another cup of tea?"

"Is this your parenting philosophy? Leaving her alone for a few hours while she works everything out on her own and fills her head with crazy ideas?" She accused.

Itachi shook his head. "That's not what I meant when I said—"

"Is that what you're going to do every time she gets upset like this? Assume it'll pass and make yourself a cup of tea? What if she finds out that she's pregnant with her crush's baby?! Do you think something like that will just pass if you give it a few hours?!"

Itachi glanced around to see if there was any sign of Kizashi or Sarada leaving the room and lowered his voice so that only Mebuki could hear him. "I do not think this is the time, nor the place for such a conversation. I understand that Sakura's pregnancy wasn't what you wanted for her, or what she wanted for herself at the time, but she ended up giving birth to a smart, talented, and beautiful daughter, married a successful husband and loving father, and became a successful doctor and loving mother. Although it may not have been the perfect time to start a family, or what Sakura might have wanted, she was supported every step of the way by not only Sasuke, but you and Kizashi and turned out fine." Itachi said. "And if the same should ever happen to Sarada, I will not only give her the time she needs to process everything that is happening, but I will also be there for her when she needs me and is ready to talk about it – it could be within a day, a week, or a month. I'll be ready to talk about it whenever she's ready to talk about it, and maybe that's not the correct way to go about it; I don't know, I've never been a parent to anyone before, but I've got plenty of time to learn and make mistakes before that happens, and all I ask of you is to give me a chance to do it, and if I need your help, I will ask for it." He said. "So please, let me handle it."

Mebuki's eyebrows, which were arched in shock at Itachi's words, quickly furrowed. "You and you brother are definitely related, there's no doubt about it." She muttered.

Just then, Kizashi reappeared from Sarada's bedroom, dispelling the tension that had settled between Mebuki and Itachi in the time he was gone. "Mebuki?" He said, and gestured for her to follow him inside.

Unsure whether he was to follow behind, Itachi lingered at the doorway. Inside, Sarada was wiping at her eyes as Kizashi sat down on the bed to embrace her. "There, there, Sarada, sweetie, it's okay." He cooed.

"Oh, Sarada." Mebuki knelt over her granddaughter and moved to embrace her as well until the only the top of her head and her legs dangling over the side of the bed were visible.

"I don't want to stay here with him." Sarada sniffled. "I want to go home and stay with you guys."

Kizashi smiled sympathetically and pulled away from the embrace to meet her eyes. "Itachi's not a bad guy, Sarada. If you ever want to cry 'uncle,' he'll be there for you in a heartbeat."

Mebuki rolled her eyes at the pun. "We'd love to take you back home with us, but your mother and father wanted you to stay with your uncle instead." She explained. "And even though we're across the country, we're only a phone call away."

"That's right." Kizashi agreed. "Here's an idea; maybe you and your uncle can visit us over Thanksgiving! What do you think of that, Sarada?"

Sarada shook her head. "I don't wanna visit for a week. I don't wanna visit at all. I want to live with you." She said before her composure collapsed and the waterworks resumed.

"Oh, Sarada." Mebuki said, and pulled her into an even tighter embrace. "I know this is all very new and different to you, and I know that Itachi seems like a stranger, but he's family. He's your father's older brother."

"Yeah, Sarada; uncle Itachi can tell you all sorts of stories about what your father was like when he was a kid! Wouldn't that be fun to listen to!" Kizashi chuckled.

In the end, it took an additional fifteen minutes of convincing, and ten minutes worth of silent embraces before Sarada had composed herself enough to let Mebuki and Kizashi leave.

"Is she alright?" Itachi asked, standing up from his sitting position outside of her door. While he wanted to give them their privacy, this involved him too, and he wanted to know what to expect when they left.

"She'll be fine! She's a strong girl, just like her mother, right, Mebuki?" Kizashi asked.

"Yeah." Mebuki spoke, just barely above a whisper. "She is."

It was apparent that she herself was crying while she was in there as evidenced by her swollen eyes and flushed complexion. "Would you like a tissue, Mrs. Haruno?" Itachi asked, taking a step towards the bathroom to get a tissue.

But Mebuki held up a hand, effectively halting him from going any further. "No thank you. I just need to lie down, right now." She said. "Thanks for the dinner, and be sure to look after Sarada tonight."

 _Be sure to look after Sarada tonight._ I wasn't a reminder. It was a warning.

"Thanks for the dinner, Itachi!" Kizashi said, and leaned in to give Itachi a hug. "Tell your friend—uh, what was his name again?"

"Kisame?"

"Tell Kisame it was nice meeting him, and take care! Of both yourself, and my granddaughter! She's the only one I've got, you know!"

Itachi smiled. "I will,"

Itachi showed them to the way out and held the door open as they exited the apartment when Mebuki muttered "I'll be calling tomorrow." She said and made eye contact with him to make sure he heard her correctly.

"I'll keep my phone nearby." He assured her and closed the door behind them once they disappeared into the elevator.

The door to Sarada's room was shut when he turned around. _Kizashi closed it behind him,_ he remembered and slowly approached it. As he got closer, he could hear sounds of distress – Sarada's muffled crying.

"Sarada?" He asked, gently knocking on the door. "Are you okay in there?"

"Go away." She said in a trembling voice before sobbing again.

Sasuke rarely locked himself in his room to cry. If ever their father or mother upset him to the point of making him cry, he would run to Itachi and sob into his shirt before Itachi picked him up and asked what had happened. The only time he didn't do this was when it was Itachi who had been the one to upset him, in which case, he would seek the comfort of their mother. If she couldn't be found, he would hide under the covers of his blankets in his bedroom until Itachi found him and let himself inside to sooth his distraught sibling.

After the age of seven, however, the crying stopped and the silent brooding began.

But this was a year old girl. Not only that, but a ten year old girl who had recently lost both of her parents in a car accident and had been forced to uproot her life and everything that she knew to move across the country to live with a family member she couldn't member ever meeting before.

Itachi was at a loss. He couldn't take her into his arms like he had with Sasuke when he was younger and ask what upset him. She was too big for that and he knew what was upsetting her. This wasn't a denial of a new toy or watching endless hours of television. This was a combination of grief, loneliness, and a sense of abandonment.

At the same time, he couldn't let himself in as he himself was part of the problem. She wasn't comfortable enough with him yet to walk in on her during her lowest moments to cheer her up. If anything, it would drive home the reality of the situation for what it was. Her parents were deceased. Her grandparents were gone. She was in a foreign city, left in the custody of a foreign relative.

"Okay." Itachi settled on, and allowed his hand to drop to his side. "If you want to talk, I'll listen. My door is always open. Feel free to let yourself in." He said. Was there anything else he should say while he was there? "No matter how late it is; I'll always be here for you, Sarada."

As expected, he didn't receive a response, and set off to clean up from dinner. He had placed the dinnerware in the dishwasher and put away the sauce and the noodles when his phone vibrated from within his pocket.

 _It's probably Mebuki_ , Itachi assumed, but realized upon glancing at the locked screen that it was a text message from Kisame.

 _'_ _Are they still there?'_ Kisame's text read.

 _'_ _No'_ Itachi texted back. _'They left almost 10 minutes ago.'_

 _'_ _How'd everything go?'_

Itachi shrugged and typed _'Not quite a success, but not a complete disaster either.'_

 _'_ _That's good. How's the kid?'_

Itachi rolled his eyes. Was Kisame ever going to attempt to learn Sarada's name? _'Sarada's doing as well as can be expected.'_

 _'_ _Meaning…?'_

 _'_ _She's crying in her bedroom right now. I don't blame her. It's a lot to process and I'm giving her space until she is ready to talk about it.'_ He answered.

It was a few minutes before Kisame responded back. _'Did I ever tell you you'll make an amazing parent?'_

 _'_ _Guardian'_ Itachi corrected.

 _'_ _Whatever you say'_

Itachi smiled and glanced at the droplets of tomato sauce adorning the stovetop when he removed the lid earlier. _I should probably clean that_. He thought, fetched a bottle of disinfectant wipes from where he kept them in the bathroom. He knew that Mebuki and Kizashi were gone and wasn't expecting them to return again anytime soon, but found himself to be in a cleaning mood since early this morning and figured why not? A little cleaning never hurt anyone.

By 8:20, the kitchen was cleaned, the leftovers put away, and Sarada still hadn't left her room. Although Itachi wanted to give her the space she needed, he still worried about her well-being and stood outside her bedroom door, listening for any sounds or movement. He didn't hear any, which was both a good thing and a not so good thing. On one hand, at least she had stopped crying. Perhaps she had even cried herself to sleep, which was a sad thought, but Itachi hoped that she would wake up in better spirits tomorrow. On the other hand, if Sarada wasn't asleep, what was she doing in there? Absently staring at the ceiling? Silently brooding? Writing the letter she would leave on the bed before she snuck out of the apartment to catch the next cross-country bus back home?

Itachi shook his head. She wouldn't do that. Sarada was a smart girl. She understood the reality of the situation. Where would she go if she ran away? She couldn't go back to her childhood home, and where would she get the money to catch a cross-country bus back to her grand-parents' house?

She might not have had the money to catch a bus traveling across the country, but she could possess the necessary funds to catch a cab and travel back to her grandparents' hotel. If she did that, either Kizashi or Mebuki would call him, letting him know that they'll drop her off again in the morning.

He could hear Mebuki's voice now as it came over the line. _"I_ cannot believe _you were so_ irresponsible _that you would allow a ten year old girl to sneak out of your apartment and wonder about the city!"_

The thought was an unpleasant one and something Itachi rather not think about. How would he prevent a ten year old from sneaking out when he wasn't looking? Or when he was asleep? He could stay up late for the night, but eventually he would have to sleep. And what would stop her from leaving when he finally succumbed to fatigue?

Itachi sighed and retreated to his bedroom to get his laptop. While there wasn't much he could do to prevent Sarada from sneaking out under the cover of night, he could spend the rest of the evening catching up on some work in the kitchen, which would allow him to hear Sarada leaving her room – _if_ , she ever left her room.

At 11:32pm, after completing three hours of work, Itachi decided to call it quits and retire for the night. Upon switching off the kitchen and living room lights, he was surprised to discover a golden sliver of light escaping from beneath the door to Sarada's room.

"Sarada?" Itachi asked from outside her door. "Are you okay, in there?" He asked. When he received no response, he tentatively took the door knob into his hand and let himself in.

Red rimmed glasses were placed on the bedside table as Sarada quietly slept atop the plush comforter of the bed. It was apparently all the energy she could muster, as she was still clad in her street clothes from earlier Itachi noted and flicked the lights off before gently shutting the door behind him.

While today could've gone a lot better than it had, it could've been a lot worse as well. _Tomorrow is the start of another day…_

* * *

 **[A/N]: So after writing the last chapter, my interest in this story was renewed! (Or should I say I was fearful that one of you would burn down my house if I didn't at least update Itachi's dinner with Mebuki and Kizashi! lol) Don't expect such a speedy update the next time, as I've said over and over again, I haven't the slightest idea where I'm going with this story and need time to plan (that, and I'm working on at least 3 other stories at the moment...so...yeah!)**

 ******To the guest who reviewed chapter 3 on August 2nd: Thank you for the review! It made me smile and laugh! (Let's face it, Kizashi knows what he's talking about *playful elbow jab*)**

 **Until next time~**

 **Sasori33-001**


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